US Equity Market Update as of October 26, 2015
(Continued from Prior Part)
Plum Creek Timber’s price movement
Plum Creek Timber (PCL) has a market capitalization of $7.1 billion. Its YTD (year-to-date) price movement has been mixed between ups and downs in 2015.
After its 3Q15 earnings report, Plum Creek Timber fell by 0.15% to close at $40.79 per share as of October 26, 2015. Its price movements on a weekly, monthly, and YTD basis are -0.83%, 2.8%, and -1.7%, respectively.
Technically, Plum Creek Timber has broken the support of its 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages throughout 2015. Currently, it’s trading 0.35% above its 20-day moving average, 2.4% above its 50-day moving average, and -0.91% below its 200-day moving average.
The iShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF (WOOD) invests 7.8% of its holdings in Plum Creek Timber. The ETF tracks the 25 largest publicly listed companies that own or manage forests and timberlands. The ETF’s YTD price movement was -6.5% as of October 23, 2015.
Plum Creek Timber’s competitors and their market capitalizations are as follows:
- Weyerhaeuser (WY) — $15.1 billion
- Rayonier (RYN) — $2.9 billion
- Louisiana-Pacific (LPX) — $2.5 billion
- Potlatch Corporation (PCH) — $1.2 billion
Performance of Plum Creek Timber in 3Q15
Plum Creek Timber reported revenue of $414 million in 3Q15, a rise of 37.1% on a quarterly basis. The company’s revenue from timber rose by 9.4%, and its revenue from manufacturing fell by 7.6% in 3Q15. Its revenue from real estate rose to $129 million in 3Q15 as compared to revenue from real estate of $25 million in 2Q15.
The company’s cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue fell by 14.7% in 3Q15. Its net income and EPS (earnings per share) rose to $100 million and $0.58 per share in 3Q15 as compared to net income and EPS of $21 million and $0.12 per share in 2Q15.
Plum Creek Timber’s net profit margin was reported as 24.2% in 3Q15. Its debt-to-equity ratio rose by 0.43% in 3Q15 on a quarterly basis.
The following are some of Plum Creek Timber’s key 3Q15 activities:
- The company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.44 per share on its common stock.
- Michelle J. Goldberg joined Plum Creek Timber’s board of directors.
- Plum Creek Timber formed a joint venture with several institutional investors to own and sustainably manage a portfolio of US timberland.
- The company completed the sale of ~98,000 acres of timberland in West Central Florida to Hancock Timber Resource Group for ~$120 million.
About Plum Creek Timber
Plum Creek Timber is a steward of land, forests, and natural resources. It enhances asset value while protecting the environment and promoting prosperity in communities.
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